OPINION:
It is difficult to take Britain’s criticisms of Israel seriously unless London holds itself to the principles it claims to defend.
Argentine President Javier Milei reiterated his willingness Friday to pursue bilateral negotiations with Britain regarding the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands.
In an interview with the Argentine digital channel Neura Media, Mr. Milei said his government was doing “everything possible” to return the Falkland Islands to Argentina.
“Sovereignty is nonnegotiable, but it must be handled judiciously with brains,” he said. The Falklands (which Argentina calls Islas Malvinas) are a disputed group of islands located 300 miles east of Argentina, with a population of around 3,600.
Mr. Milei pushed for control over the islands after an internal Pentagon email said the U.S. was reviewing its support for Britain’s claim over the islands in the wake of Europe and NATO’s refusal to support the U.S. and Israel’s war with Iran.
Both Britain’s and Argentina’s claims date back to the mid-18th century, when the British Empire withdrew from the islands after a power struggle with Spain. When Argentina declared independence from Spain in 1816, it claimed sovereignty over the islands and established a settlement there.
The British expelled Argentina from the islands in 1833 and established the Falklands as an official colony.
In 1982, Argentina’s military junta, led by Lt. Gen. Leopoldo Galtieri, launched an invasion to recapture the islands. After a 10-week undeclared war, Argentina surrendered to British forces. An estimated 900 people died in the war, including 649 Argentines, 255 British troops and three civilian islanders.
The Falklands now continue to operate as one of the British Overseas Territories.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer — who recently shelved his deal to hand over sovereignty of the British-held Chagos Islands to Mauritius and pay an estimated $136 million a year to lease back a joint British-U.S. military base — expressed his country’s disapproval of Argentina’s claim. He reiterated that Britain’s position remains “unchanged.”
“Sovereignty rests with the U.K., and the islands’ right to self-determination is paramount,” Mr. Starmer’s spokesperson told reporters. “That’s been our consistent position and will remain the case.”
Mr. Starmer has yet to explain why British sovereignty should be unquestionably honored in the Falklands but not in the Chagos Islands. He has similarly never explained why Britain maintains sovereignty over Gibraltar, despite it being claimed by Spain, or Northern Ireland, despite claims by Irish nationalists.
Mr. Starmer’s hypocrisy is glaringly obvious when he selectively interprets international law to use as a cudgel against Israel. Last year, he announced Britain’s formal recognition of a Palestinian state in the West Bank (referred to by Israel as Judea and Samaria), Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem, even though the final status of these areas is disputed by Israel.
Despite Mr. Starmer’s opposition, Israel can, in fact, apply sovereignty to these areas under the legal doctrine of uti possidetis juris, wherein a new country automatically inherits the borders of the last top-level administrative unit in that area.
In this case, Israel is taking back control of east Jerusalem and the West Bank from the Kingdom of Jordan, which conquered these areas during Israel’s War of Independence in 1948. Israel is not annexing foreign territory; it is extending sovereign rights over its historic heartland.
East Jerusalem and the West Bank (i.e., the biblical Jewish heartland) also carry far deeper religious, historical and cultural importance for Israel and the Jewish people than the Falklands, Chagos Islands, Gibraltar or Northern Ireland do for Britain. Yet Mr. Starmer feels entitled to lecture Israel on where its borders should be drawn. He cloaks his demands in high-minded appeals to international law and equality.
This double standard reveals why Mr. Starmer insists Israel must conform to the rules he claims to champion while he faces no pressure to do the same with regard to Britain’s disputed territories.
The renewed debate over the Falklands exposes the truth behind Mr. Starmer’s sanctimonious stance on Israel. It is not driven by any consistent or impartial commitment to international law. Instead, it reveals how weak and hesitant leadership has diminished a once-great world power.
• Bradley Martin is the executive director of the Near East Center for Strategic Studies. Follow him on Facebook and X @ByBradleyMartin.
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